IRS Photos
This past Wednesday I visited one of town nursery schools to take part in their mochitsuki, or mochi making party. So, here is a little primer on mochi (if you already know all of this just skip to the next paragraph): Mochi is popular as a New Year's food since it is very stretchy and you can pull it a long way (like soba noodles)-- they say eating these foods will bring good luck for a long life. Most people buy mochi from stores or buy mochi powder that they can mix with water into the proper consistency rather than cooking actual mochi rice, and then hammering it into dough form as was traditional. Some neighborhood associations and many nursery schools still carry on the tradition so young people can still experience the old ways. Last year I was invited to 3 different mochitsuki parties so I've gotten pretty good at pounding the rice (which is a little surprising for Japanese people since mostly the men pound it as the wooden hammers are pretty heavy) and avoiding the hands of the woman who folds the dough over on itself in between each blow. Once the dough is the proper consistency it is brought to plastic covered, heavily corn-starch dusted tables where women and children pinch off small pieces that are pinched and rolled into small balls that are then used a variety of ways. Sometimes they are stuffed with anko (sweet bean paste)or sometimes put into anko soup, sometimes rolled in kinako (soy bean powder), or doused in soy sauce and then wrapped in a small piece of nori, and sometimes placed in the bottom of a bowl of chicken-vegetable soup. The making of the mochi balls is usually quite messy since the kids love the silky feel of the cornstarch and it gets everywhere-- on the floor and then our socks, on our clothes and all over some of the kids' faces.
This past Wednesday I visited one of town nursery schools to take part in their mochitsuki, or mochi making party. So, here is a little primer on mochi (if you already know all of this just skip to the next paragraph): Mochi is popular as a New Year's food since it is very stretchy and you can pull it a long way (like soba noodles)-- they say eating these foods will bring good luck for a long life. Most people buy mochi from stores or buy mochi powder that they can mix with water into the proper consistency rather than cooking actual mochi rice, and then hammering it into dough form as was traditional. Some neighborhood associations and many nursery schools still carry on the tradition so young people can still experience the old ways. Last year I was invited to 3 different mochitsuki parties so I've gotten pretty good at pounding the rice (which is a little surprising for Japanese people since mostly the men pound it as the wooden hammers are pretty heavy) and avoiding the hands of the woman who folds the dough over on itself in between each blow. Once the dough is the proper consistency it is brought to plastic covered, heavily corn-starch dusted tables where women and children pinch off small pieces that are pinched and rolled into small balls that are then used a variety of ways. Sometimes they are stuffed with anko (sweet bean paste)or sometimes put into anko soup, sometimes rolled in kinako (soy bean powder), or doused in soy sauce and then wrapped in a small piece of nori, and sometimes placed in the bottom of a bowl of chicken-vegetable soup. The making of the mochi balls is usually quite messy since the kids love the silky feel of the cornstarch and it gets everywhere-- on the floor and then our socks, on our clothes and all over some of the kids' faces.